Sunday, April 17, 1977

THE MOTHER OF ALL BRAWLS: Crispa 122, Toyota 121 (April 17, 1977)

A postgame rumble between Crispa and Toyota marred the opener of the 1977 PBA season, an incident that is considered as one of the most memorable moments in the history of the professional league. Overshadowed by the melee that also involved the fans was the Redmanizers' one-point win that came after a last-second technical foul by Tamaraws coach Dante Silverio.

Crispa-Toyota match marred by
free-for-all

Al Mendoza

Bulletin Today

Published Monday April 18, 1977

The circus of basketball hullabaloos
that is the Philippine Basketball Association started last night with
a real, crushing, big bang at the Araneta Coliseum.

Crispa snatched a last-minute 122-121
victory over Toyota, courtesy of Tamaraw coach Dante Silverio, whose
being slapped a technical foul with three seconds left allowed
Fortunato Co to sink the pressure-packed marginal shot in his
dramatic march to the charity lane.

But the real meat of last night's story
was the bloody riot that ensued after the game, undoubtedly a
man-size blackeye for the ever-glorified PBA shebang.

Hardly had the game finished and
players from both camps were heading for the dugout when hell broke
loose right behind the southern basket of the Big Dome.

Photographers couldn't barge through
the cordon of kibitzers that ringed the scene of the rumble and had
to jump time and again, with their cameras blindly trained at the
rumbling players in a desperate attempt at getting a shot of the
riot.

The riot lasted for 15 minutes. One
spectator from the bleacher apparently unable to get a piece of the
action, lost his cool and hurled a soft drink bottle, hitting the
right waist of a lady, who instantly crumpled to the floor writhing
in pain. She escaped injuries, however.

When it was all over, Toyota's Ramon
Fernandez emerged with a nasty cut below his right eye. He walked out
of the coliseum clutching chunks of ice trained at his cut eye, which
was a bit close and puffy.

Crispa's Rodolfo Soriano took a
pebble-sized lump over his right eye and another lump beside his
mouth besides having absorbed bruises in the neck and arms.

Rey Franco, Soriano's teammare, showed
a reddened right ear and majority of the players from both camps
showed marks of punches and clwaing.